Non-Traditional Exercise and Dieting

There are a few basics to a healthy lifestyle. The most effective plan I have found is to eat right, exercise, drink plenty of water, and get enough sleep. We all have this desire to be healthy. Most of us would like to drop down a couple of dress sizes. Some of us simply need to tone up in a few areas. So what is the problem? Why don’t we pursue these goals? I can give you a few popular reasons: I don’t have time; I don’t have the money to invest; I don’t know how.

Exercising:

I don’t have a membership to a gym but I do have 3 boys and a park about 15 minutes away. Everyday we go there and I walk on the track for at least thirty minutes while they play and wind down. Every other day I do some strength training at the park: I walk up and down the steps to the slide, I balance myself in the center of the see saws, I swing on the swing set, I lift myself up and down on the monkey bars, and play ball with the kids. Allowing them time to play also insures that they will go to bed at a decent hour and sleep through the night. This means I can do the same! I also use the the remaining time to make phone calls to some of my distant friends…. you know the ones that you always say “I’ll give you a call soon!” Well this gives me the time to do so. You never know when you will make someones day.

Some other ways to incorporate exercise into your day is to park further away from the store when going shopping so that you must walk farther. While folding clothes, sit on a chair or sofa with the basket in front of you so that you must reach down and come back up with each piece of laundry. This makes for good sit-ups. Keep weights by the phone and sneak in a few arm strengthening reps while chatting. Set up a step ladder in front of the TV while viewing your favorite program. Something else that works great is being intimate with the hubby. This relieves stress and burns calories.

Eating Healthy:

The way people eat today is completely different from how they ate just 100 years ago. There were no processed foods, preservatives, growth hormones, chemical fertilizers and pesticides back then. There was only pure home grown, farm raised foods. I never eat high fructose corn syrup, anything with trans fats, enriched anything, or growth hormones. Always read labels. I try to eat mostly organic and whole wheat foods. I also take vitamins daily. Fast food should be a thing of the past for most folks. Besides the outrageous monetary cost, consider the health costs as well. Eat plenty of fruits and veggies, wheat products, and drink lots of water. Avoid pork and shellfish. There are many scientific reasons for this in addition to the biblical reasons. Also, it is best to eat small amounts several times a day than to eat two or three “big” meals. Breakfast is still the most important. You want to kick start that metabolism early. Drinking a small glass of hot lemon water first thing in the morning also improves the function of the organs by flushing out toxins and it aids the digestive to perform better. Remember: if God created it then your body know what to do with it. Eat foods that are closest to how God created them.

Healthy Lifestyle:

Get plenty of rest! If you don’t sleep right then you will wake up lacking energy which will make you crave caffeine and carbohydrates. Both in excess will increase your weight, decrease your health, and age you rapidly. Become involved in helping others and increase your time with God. All of these things prolong your life and improve your health.

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